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This past week, a rumor surfaced that Seal Beach’s historic Bay Theatre is up for sale.

Built in 1947, this former Fox West Coast Theatre has managed to survive, virtually unchanged, for some sixty-two years. Having focused on art and classic bookings, since the late 1970’s, the Bay has carved out a stable niche in the Orange County cinema scene, avoiding the decline (and closure) most of it’s peers experienced during the later twentieth century. Now, with the rumored sale listing, in addition to the theatre’s 2007 removal of it’s Wurlitzer pipe organ, there has to be some concern raised, as to the Bay’s future. While it seems unlikely Seal Beach would ever allow the theatre to be demolished, a potential change in ownership is certainly something to keep an eye on.

Below are two pictures of the Bay Theatre, separated by some sixty years.